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Life

06th Jul 2016

There’s a 3-month waiting list to buy this €200 toaster

The boom is back

Cassie Delaney

Anyone who follows us on Snapchat will know we’re big fans of toastie cheesey’s here in Her.ie.

The beauty of the toastie is that it is so simple to make and hard to fuck up. So we’re baffled as to why this particular toaster is so in demand and so pricey.

According to Bloomberg, the Balmuda toaster is no everyday appliance and can transform bread into something that smells, tastes and feels like it popped out of a baker’s oven.

The secret lies steam.

Founder Gen Terao accidentally made the discovery on a rainy day at a company picnic, when they happened to make exceptionally good toast. Trying to recreate it later in dryer circumstances, they came to the realization that the great toast was due to the moisture of the rain.

The Balmuda has a sneaky little steamer built in and toasts bread on carefully calibrated heat cycles.

Terao previously fronted a rock band for nine years before moving into product development. His company produces desk lights, electric fans, humidifiers and other home products. It was in 2014 when Terao turned his attention to food.

Hiromi Yamaguchi, an analyst at Euromonitor, believes the success of the toaster is due to its simplicity.

“Consumers are embracing gadgets that do one thing well,” he says.

“Larger appliance makers are selling products with too many functions, and not a lot of people use them.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADGewISUut0